Final answer:
Children learn to read and write through trial-and-error discovery similar to speech learning in the Whole language approach, which integrates their innate language capabilities and environment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct option : b
The approach in which children learn to read and write through trial-and-error discovery, mirroring the way they learn to speak, is the Whole language approach. This method is premised on the idea that language learning is both a natural process and a cultural tool that evolves with use as opposed to being explicitly taught through rules and reinforcements. Children come into the world with innate language abilities, as Noam Chomsky's concept of a language acquisition device (LAD) suggests, which facilitates a biological predisposition for language acquisition. However, this is complemented by the environmental interactions and reinforcements outlined by B.F. Skinner.
Hence, when applied to reading and writing, the Whole language approach relies on a child's engagement with language in its entirety, encompassing understanding through context, recognition of sight words, and the use of cues from language to gain meaning. This contrasts with a phonics-based instruction which is more structured and focuses on the relationship between letters and sounds. It is present in various forms of communicative experience where the child interacts with written and spoken language, including storytelling, play, and exploration of texts. This approach values the child's linguistic environment and interaction, reinforcing that reading and writing are not only about decoding symbols but also about making meaning and understanding context.